Center Stage: What's hot in the Midlands

FRIDAY, Dec. 11

If you missed the Rockettes at the Columbia Life Arena, you should catch the Happiest Holiday Chorus Line of Broadway at the Newberry Opera House. The Christmas show will feature traditional holiday music - and a lot of high kicks.

The chorus line will perform songs such as "We Need a Little Christmas," "White Christmas," "Silent Night," "The First Noel" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas." The dancers will be smiling, and so will you.

The shows are at 3 and 8 p.m. The opera house is at 1201 McKibben St., Newberry. $30 for the 3 p.m. show and $37.50 at 8 p.m.; (803) 276-6264

FRIDAY, Dec. 11, and SATURDAY, Dec. 12

The Columbia City Jazz Dance Company will perform "The Two Claras," a contemporary re-imagining of "The Nutcracker," today and Saturday. The company's performance will feature live narration by actress Andie MacDowell, star of films such as "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Multiplicity" and "Groundhog Day." The production will also feature Kidz Bop star Dana Vaughns.

The performances will be at Drayton Hall Theatre, 1214 College St. Showtimes: 7:30 tonight and 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. A shortened version will be performed at 11 a.m. Friday. There will be a reception at 6:30 p.m. Saturday with MacDowell, and reserved seats cost $50. Tickets for the performance cost $15, and $4 for the short version. For more information, visit http://www.columbiacityjazz.com or call (803) 252-0252.

FRIDAY, Dec. 11, through SUNDAY, Dec. 13

The Columbia City Ballet will perform "The Nutcracker" tonight through Sunday and Dec. 18-20 at the Koger Center. The company is producing the holiday spectacle for the 29th consecutive year.

"'Twas the Night Before Christmas, S. Claws?" will be performed at Workshop Theatre tonight through Sunday. Find out what happens when Jack O. Lantern decides to meddle with the Christmas spirit. He'll find out that you can't mess with the music of the season.

Enjoy the Christmas season through the sounds of Celtic Yuletide by Corner House at the Puddlin' Duck. The show will feature traditional Irish and seasonal music by Corner House, the duo of Andi Hearn and Davey Mathias. There will also be a performance by students of the Redbird School of Irish Music and Rince na h'Eirann Dancers.

Redbird students, who play fiddle and guitar, will perform Christmas favorites as well as traditional Irish tunes.

Was there a Santa? A Christmas tree? Did some regions of colonial America ban Christmas?

Learn the answers to these questions 2 to 5 p.m. at Colonial Christmas in Camden. The Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site will host its annual party at the Kershaw House. You can see how it was done.

A reconstruction of the Kershaw house, which was originally built in 1777, has period furniture, and volunteers will be dressed in period clothing performing period customs, such as tossing holly in the fireplace to dispel the bad of the year. A sampling of authentic colonial recipes will be available.

The Columbia Dance Company will perform its holiday spectacular at the Henry Ponder Fine Arts Theater on Benedict College's campus. The pre-professional company trains dancers in styles from classical ballet and modern dance to jazz and praise dance. The performance starts at 5 p.m. The college is at 1600 Harden St. $10; (803) 787-5115

SUNDAY, Dec. 13

Students from the Columbia Arts Academy will perform a benefit concert for Pets Inc. at the Spears Music/Arts Center on Columbia College's campus. The concert will feature rock, pop, blues, classical, country and holiday music, as pianists, guitarists, vocalists and drummers - kids from 1 to 92 - perform. (Actually, the ages are 5 to 75, but you get the idea.)

The Jam Room Recording Studio has produced a new gospel CD, "SC Quartet Gospel Compilation CD 2009." The CD features songs from area gospel quartets, including The Holy Voices, the Rev. Matthew Mickens and the New Highway Travelers, Ya'acov, Big Mac and the Harmonies, The Six Voices of Zion, Women with a Vision, Sons of Unity and The Mighty Gloryaires.

You can get a free copy of the CD at the Jam Room - or you can go to the CD release show at the Ladson Chapel Family Life Center. Mickens and the New Highway Travelers, as well as The Six Voices of Zion, Cavilers of Eastover, Deacon Pelham Myers & the 5 Singing Stars and The Team of Joy will perform.

The show starts at 5 p.m. The Ladson Chapel Family Life Center is at 7156 Cabin Creek Road, Hopkins. $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Tickets can be purchased by calling Behind the Veil Bookstore, (803) 799-9693, or the New Highway Travelers, (803) 783-3029.

MONDAY, Dec. 14

A Viennese Christmas by the Sigmund Romberg Orchestra will be performed at Newberry Opera House at 3 and 8 p.m. The orchestra will be accompanied by four vocalists. The program will feature music from "The Nutcracker," Christmas pop hits, Broadway musicals and popular songs of the season such as "Little Drummer Boy" and "Joy to the World."

The opera house is at 1201 McKibben St., Newberry. Tickets cost $20 for the 3 p.m. show and $25 at 8 p.m. (803) 276-6264

The Lake Murray Symphony Orchestra and the Dutch Fork Choral Society will present a performance of "Messiah" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at McGregor Presbyterian Church in Irmo. Then join the orchestra in a community sing-along of "Messiah" with the two companies at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Chapin United Methodist Church. Admission to both events is free.